This week, both Wednesday and Friday are big Holidays over here. So I went over a cliff here and asked for Thursday off, so I can have a little vacation time....Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

So I've spent the whole day yesterday visiting hospitals, getting blood samples, in an emergency room (no doctor available since it was a holiday), telling a child over and over and over again, "do not scratch", having child tell me that since they drew blood out of her, she needed a prize.

Coming home to change sheets and lay in terror to the possibility that I might get em' because well, hell, I'm her caretaker.

So now my weekend plans have changed just a little bit.I'm in a contained area, with a mask and heavy garments.

She is enclosed in a room, with an A/C very high to avoid possible further contamination. A room with smells of creams and lotions and hospital like substances.So much for the beach, eh?

So in very general terms, yes this all sucks.

but hey I look at it on the bright side, maybe God was saving me from something worse.

Maybe I was gonna die at the beach. Maybe a great white shark was gonna chomp off both of my legs, or I was gonna die choking on a piragua (typical frozen sweet treat)or piña colada...all is possible.

So I'm thankful I'm stuck here with a sick kid, praying that I won't get sick as well.

This weekend was my turn to host our Educational Tour on Autism at our local mall.

I set up on Friday night and prayed for a good weekend.

At 9am Empress and I made our way there.

I had a whole crew of volunteers and profesionals ready to lend a helping hand.I thought that we got a crappy spot, and hoped for the best.

Boy was I wrong.

There wasn't a moment to even think.

The tables were busy all the way around....dozens upon dozens of families, aunts, uncles, grandpa's, teachers, doctors, ALL WANTING INFO, ALL WANTING HELP, ALL WANTING AN EAR TO LISTEN AND A HEART TO TALK TO.It was by far the most wonderful experience of my life.

There were tears, cases diagnosed on the spot, words of love, hugs, laughter...it was God given.

I worked on Saturday from 9am - 9pm...but the day went by so fast..I couldn't even tell I was there that long...well, I did tell when I went home and actually sat down for the first time in 12 hours....

Empress was there all day, lending a hand like always...many parents I've met on the phone went to show me their children, I invited them to our next meeting which is on Saturday (I'll be talking about the GF /CF diet)....

Yoly...Super J's Mom and her husband, who happen to live a couple of hours away also stopped by on Sunday to give a helping hand...that, meant the world to me...

Many profesionals I called went to help and offer free diagnosis and evaluations, I had T.O., Speech Therapists, Physical Therapists, you name it...Psychologists, Teachers....even Miss C's teacher went...

On Sunday it was 11-5pm...I didn't even have lunch...but the outpour was equal to the day before...many people came up to congratulate us for our efforts, whole families stopped by looking for support, Pediatricians came for info on how to help their little ones...

Miss C was there on Sunday morning....she obviously became a pain in the arse in a matter of 20 minutes, from being hungry, to wanting a toy, to be hungry again, to wanting to pee, to wanting a haircut...(yes, a haircut, she gets her haircut in that mall and she made the association). But True finally showed and got her out of my hair.

In the end. It was a wonderful weekend. We bonded and helped and had fun.

this ruling the world thing...maybe a bit too much for my plate for now.

I have a headache the size of Mexico or Texas..or whatever piece of land is larger.

I have two big things this weekend and I'm pooped already.

The Parent Support Group I am in is doing a Mall Tour to create Autism Awareness. They have visited several of the large malls in Puerto Rico. This weekend I'm in charge of the mall in my area. I'm not even gonna go into details, but I am stressed. Luckily there are many people helping and the leaders have been great....it's just me...it's a bit hard you know...saturday for 12 hours and sunday for another 5. Without Miss C.

It's neccesary though. We need to create awareness of this epidemic, we need to help other parents who are starting in this long journey. I wanna help. So I will.

So far we have many volunteers including therapists, teachers and other health profesionals. So I hope it all turns out well.

*****

Miss C has jumped off the wagon. She bit her tongue this weekend and is using that as an excuse to abandon her vitamins.

But I have bigger plans.....bigger strategies that would make the FBI and the Navy Seals shiver in their combat boots....or suits and ties....

I am blackmailing her.

In every possible way.

I've got her up to half a vitamin already.

Her Magnesium is being slipped into her juice...and pretty soon we're back on track.

****Funny story...

As I was exiting Subway with my lunch in tow...a little old lady approached. She kind of looked like the lady who used to be in the Old Navy Commercials. No, not Morgan Fairchild...the one who had the big dark rimmed eyeglasses.

"Excuse me Miss, are you going this way...(she pointed to one of the mall exits), you see I am lost, I took the wrong bus and I need to get to the bus stop".

I look at her...puzzled. Because the bus stop isn't that far away.

"Um...no actually I'm in quite a hurry and I'm going the other way".

"Oh....(Pause) ok..thank you" and proceeded to look for another person.

I lied.I was going her way.

But the situation was odd. She was a well dressed woman, about in her late 70's, wasn't too far from the bus stop, it wasn't raining...and she stayed to see if someone else would randomly pick her up.

I'm sorry but I am NOT making it on the FRONT PAGE:

"20 something year (cough) beatened and robbed by the notorious Grandma's Ganstas..."

That'll teach me to make her swallow her vitamins.take that you wicked witch!

*chomp chomp*

True tried desperately to help...

"It's either your vitamins or you're mom is gonna spank you! Which is it?"

To which Miss C coyly answered:

"The spanking" and she approached us prepared to be spanked.

I jammned my finger in her mouth to make her swallow. She bit, hard. And would not open her mouth.

I howled in delight.

I take it in stride. I don't drink coffee, so that was my picker upper.

******

Saturday we all went to have a quick dinner at a local fast food place. We were already seated when this lady at the register was having a fit. I don't know exactly what happened, but the manager was trying desperately to calm her down and meet her needs. "I'm trying to help you, ma'am".

Ma'am decided to stay and eat.

Hey. If you're upset and not satisfied, leave.

But don't bitch and moan and whine for the entire stay.

Forcing me to bite my tongue and hold my hand in order to prevent me going to the table besides me and bitchslapping you into common sense."This bitch..! blah blah..I'm a paying customer...You'll see what I'll do....blah blah blah"

*rolls eyes*

But she kept on going. So....

I got up from my table and I slapped her.

Ok. that really didn't happen.

But.

these are the moments I wish for the wrath of God.Or for her to choke slightly on her Frosty.

Which ever comes first.It's all good.

I would have loved to give her one of my good fingers....in a bad way.

Thought of the day: Crocodiles have a gazzillions tons of force in their jaws....but they ain't no match for crock-a-toddler Miss C.

I've had a loooong hard week.The kind of week where you just wanna send it all to hell and crawl back into the cave you've emerged from.The kind where you don't wanna pick up phones, talk to people or even take a shower.

Yeah. that kind of week.

The kind of week that my emotional sensors are so delicate I cried when I found out we weren't having rice at my mom's house. We were having macarroni.

Lots of things on my plate have contributed to my state. Not to mention all the other stuff I can't mention.

But it's been hard.

Trying to keep sane. trying to maintain a relationship, a kid, a job and not feel like I'm compromising waaay to much of me. And feel that at the end of the day, I have no clue where Mary is at.

but alas, it is a new day. a new week. a new month.and after screaming into towels all last night, I think I'll make it.

In the meanwhile, please kindly look at this picture.That blob you see....is the security guard at a local pharmacy.

sitting on an overturned shopping cart.

protecting the clients indeed.I feel so much safer buying my Paxil at the pharmacy where the Stay Puff Marshmallow man does his part time shift...